


Astraphobia

by Galaxxi



Series: ask-joeydrewstudios fics [1]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Babbu Bendo, Fluff, Gen, How The Heck Do I Tag Things Here I Dunno Im New Lmao, Literally he's like a week old
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-18 23:02:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11884689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galaxxi/pseuds/Galaxxi
Summary: Bendy experiences his first thunderstorm. He doesn't like it.[[Do NOT repost to other websites.]]





	Astraphobia

**Author's Note:**

> oookay! I'm not much of a writer but here's a silly little fic I started writing one day when it was storming. Hope ya like it c':
> 
> also! astraphobia is the fear of thunder and lightning, for anyone wondering.

   Bendy wasn’t supposed to leave Joey’s office past 9 PM.

   There was nothing in the studio to be afraid of or anything, Joey was simply worried he’d get lost. He’d been created just over a week ago, he didn’t know how to navigate the place efficiently yet. The studio was like a maze, take a wrong turn or stray too far and you have no idea where you are. It’s easy enough to find your way again if you find someone to help you, which is why the toon was allowed to wander during the day. At night though, people rarely stayed so late and they kept to their work stations when they did. Not to mention most of the lights were turned off to save on energy costs, so the halls were ominously dim. Thus, it was far easier for someone new to the studio like Bendy to get lost at night. Really, it was inevitable.

   They both wished it hadn’t been the night Bendy found out he hated thunderstorms.

   He’d been making his way back to Joey’s office after exploring the studio for what had been about three hours, and it was one of the nights where everyone had already left so they were completely alone in the studio. He was feeling confident he could find his way back no problem, he was getting more and more familiar with the studio’s layout with every passing day. He’d been picking out landmarks like specific desks, rooms, and other unique features that he could remember to tell him where he was. All was going well, and he felt he could make it back in time - until he heard a peculiar noise.

   The studio wasn’t the sturdiest structure, the building creaked and groaned from time to time and the pipes of the ink machine rattled in the walls almost constantly among the regular studio ambiance. This noise was… _different_ , though. It didn’t sound like it was coming from somewhere in the studio, it was a low distant rumble muffled by the walls that almost sounded like it was coming from everywhere. The studio lacked any windows, so he wouldn’t be able to see the lightning that soon followed. Before long the thunder spoke again, louder this time. It was such an unfamiliar, menacing sound that made him anxious for a reason he couldn’t quite grasp, and his pace quickened from a leisurely stroll to a brisk walk.

   “ _Keep calm, focus your thoughts, don’t start melting…_ ” he mumbled to himself. Maybe it was a little too late for that last point, he could feel ink dripping and leaving a small trail behind him as he went down hallways, around corners, through doors– shoot, is it right or left? Is this hallway familiar? This door is locked. Maybe it was the other way…

   A loud crack of thunder shook the studio and sent him scurrying under a desk. He was _trying_ not to be terrified, but he didn’t know what was going on and he would admit he was entirely lost at this point. It was hard to _not_ be terrified. He backed into the corner behind the desk and curled himself into a ball, hoping that maybe Joey would come find him or the noises would stop by morning. Or maybe it would never stop, maybe this was normal for this strange world he’d been brought into with no warning. Things were weird here. He couldn’t remember how things were _before_ here, it all felt like a fuzzy dream. He knew enough about it to tell that it was far different from this place. It was not a fun place to be alone in for too long, especially not in situations like this. He wished whatever this was had happened during the day when the studio was active. Then, he could find solace in someone, _anyone_. Henry, Wally - hell, even sitting through this with _Sammy_ would be more fun than sitting through it alone. Yet here he was instead, under someone’s desk in the dark. Alone.

   Soon the familiar sound of rain started up. It had rained yesterday, but it wasn’t as scary as it was now. Yesterday’s rain was gentle and distant, this rain sounded more and more aggressive like it was threatening to dissolve the walls of the studio themselves and drown him. He melted further into himself which helped mute it, but he could still hear every boom of thunder and with each one he’d melt a little further into a featureless, shivering ball of ink.

   He sat in the corner behind the desk for a long while before he thought he heard footsteps and his name being called. He picked his head back up, and while his hearing was still muffled under excess ink he could definitely hear Joey calling for him. He was getting closer, but it didn’t sound like he’d seen him under the desk. The ink had melted over his eyes so he only had his hearing. After listening for another moment to pin-point exactly where Joey was, the toon collected himself just enough to be able to spring from his hiding spot. He hit his head on the desk by accident and ran up to his creator, throwing himself at his leg and making a mess in the process. He’d nearly given up on keeping a physical form now, and ink trailed all the way from the desk to where he was now. Joey was less than pleased at the mess, and when he could see smaller drips of ink leading further down the hallway and into the darkness he knew Wally wouldn’t be either. He was glad to have found Bendy though, even if he was clearly… distressed. He almost didn’t recognize him, he didn’t know he could lose his form to such an extent. Thunder again shook the walls and the toon clung tighter to his leg. He seemed to be sobbing and whimpering like a scared puppy. If he wasn’t such a literal mess he’d probably offer him a hug, but ink was notoriously hard to get out of fabric.

   Oh to hell with it, he didn’t care for this shirt anyway.

   He sighed and picked up Bendy, and for the first time he didn’t protest at all. He wrapped what was vaguely his tail around his arm and clung to his shirt as they walked back to his office. Joey had seen him get scared before, sure, but he’d never seen him get _utterly terrified_. This was new. Behind his concern for his creation he was intrigued, he never wrote Bendy with a fear of storms but he’d apparently developed one on his own. The whole “living cartoon” thing was proving to be quite an experience so far for both of them. Bendy didn’t quite stick to what he was written as, he had his own thoughts and fears and it really nailed in the point that he was his own living being. Joey wondered if he were to make the other toons in the manner that he had made Bendy, if they would be the same way.

   Bendy was a lot more calm by the time they returned to the office. His form was still a little loose, but Joey was warm and comforting and the gentle rhythmic bounce of being carried helped sooth him into a state of bliss that helped keep him regain his composure. He almost fell asleep during their walk after Joey started humming, but the sound of the door being unlocked woke him back up and told him he was probably going to be put down soon… and then he’d be on his own again. The storm was slowing down but hadn’t stopped yet, and when Joey did try to put him down he clung to him.

   “I’ll only be a moment, Bendy. I just have to get a change of clothes. I’ll be _right back_.”

   Reluctantly he allowed himself to be put down. He wasn’t dripping anymore thankfully, and he’d pushed the ink out of his eyes so he could see again. Now he could see that his creator’s arm, shoulder, and one of his legs were _covered_ in ink. Suddenly he felt guilty over the mess he’d made, and his guilt must have been apparent as Joey gave him a smile and a reassuring pat on the head. He was left with a small bottle of ink and a large blanket, which he buried himself under while Joey got cleaned up. He felt dizzy, he’d lost more ink in his panic than he realized. That’s what the bottle was for. He struggled with the cork for a moment before using his teeth which did the trick, and in the eight minutes Joey was gone he had finished the bottle and grabbed a second one. The storm wasn’t so scary when he was in a familiar place like the cozy little office that doubled as their apartment. He still felt anxious of course, but he wasn’t terrified anymore.

   On any ordinary day, Joey would be asleep by now. That’s not something he’d so easily get with Bendy acting the way he was. He’d give him a half hour, surely he’d be fine by then right? The storm _was_ slowing down. He sat at his desk with a book and his reading glasses, and nearly as soon as he’d opened his book, the little toon was at his side again. He was looking up at him with tired eyes, still wrapped in a blanket. They started at each other briefly and just as Joey was about to speak, he silently crawled into his lap and curled back into a ball with his tail draped over the arm wrest.

   If he were actually trying to work, this would be annoying. He was only reading, so he didn’t say anything and got back to it. He got a bit too into his book and ended up reading for much longer than he meant to, and by then it was quite late. He hadn’t heard any thunder in a while and he could barely still hear the rain.

   “Should be safe enough to try getting some sleep now, right Bendy?” He nudged the toon and got no response. “…Bendy?”

   Turns out, Bendy had already fallen asleep. At least that means he calmed down. He picked him up and dropped him off on the couch, turned out the lights, and went to bed himself. Thanks to exhaustion, he was out almost the second his head hit the pillow. He couldn’t say he was surprised when he found Bendy under his arm the next morning, which was something he was prone to doing. He really should figure out how to get him to stay in his own bed, or at least out of his. He’d ask Henry for advice later, for now…

   Actually, he wasn’t going to say anything this time. He let him keep sleeping as he got up to make breakfast. It couldn’t be seen from under the blankets, but Bendy was faintly smiling in his sleep.


End file.
